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TopGolf Alpharetta: A haven for golfers (and beer-drinkers, and fun-havers)

Any time you walk into a place expecting to have immediate fun, you never want to be met by an employee who tells you there’s a two-hour wait.

But luckily, we were at TopGolf when that news was delivered. It was a Saturday, early afternoon, and my friends and I expected we’d beat the brunch-bro rush. We were wrong, but we were urged to stick around.

Good thing we did. We had an amazing time at the facility that is quickly becoming an Atlanta treasure.

TopGolf is a golf haven in Alpharetta that is so much more than just golf. There are restaurants, patios, games like cornhole and Foosball, and TVs everywhere for sports fans. There are also more than 100 pods stacked three floors high that resemble a driving range, and that’s where the fun is really had.

Here’s how it works: You hit golf balls at large targets in the ground, ranging from 50 yards to 215 yards away. If you hit those targets, you get points. If you hit closer to the middle of those targets, you get even more points. Then, you compete against your friends to see who has the most accuracy over a stretch of 20 shots.

You get immediate scores and feedback, and it’s all computerized. There are several different games. Some allow you the freedom to shoot for any target, while others force you to aim for one target and really test your golf skills.

Expect to pay anywhere between $25 and $45 per hour for a pod, but if you go with a group and split the payment, it’s a very affordable activity. It’s even a fun date idea – I’d estimate the ratio of guys to girls was about two to one, with plenty of significant others stepping up to the mats to take a few swings.

Now, about that two-hour wait we had. It was much shorter than estimated – just over one hour before a pod became available – and the people-watching and beer-drinking made the time pass quickly.

We also had a great experience with the employees, of which there were plenty circling to make sure the customers were happy. The pod they assigned us was booked for a birthday party, which started at about the same time we were supposed to be wrapping up the two hours we purchased. So a manager escorted us to a new pod and extended our time by 90 minutes, and gave us that extension for free.

That gesture more than made up for the wait we had to get our first pod.

Thanks, in part, to a fun atmosphere and friendly staff, TopGolf is obviously banking, and the company recently announced they’ll soon be opening a second location, in Westside Atlanta, Curbed Atlanta reports.

Below are some photos I took of the facility during my visit.

The goal is to hit those circular targets to earn points toward a cumulative final score.

Each bay has TVs to track your performance, as well as watch your favorite sporting event.

More than 100 pods that are almost always occupied.

Each bay has seating for at least eight people and plenty of room for all those food and drink orders.

The place is sparkling and beautiful, welcoming golfers of all skill levels.

In case you’re not up for golf (or are waiting for a bay), there are restaurants and other types of fun peppered all over the facility.

On the top floor, there is a patio bar with games like cornhole, giant Connect Four and giant Jenga.